Your ref: POH(2)1701/418                                                 Altenburg Gardens

7th March 1992                                                                              London SW11

Dear Mrs Bottomley,

Thank you for your letter of the 27th January replying to mine of the 28th December and I presume my ‘chaser’ of the 16th January although you made no reference to this second letter.

Whilst I accept your comments that decentralisation of the NHS has transferred power from Government to the local health authorities I regret this seems to have done little to speed the wheels of reform. You promised to send a copy of my first letter to the Chairman of Wandsworth Health Authority, Dr Enid Vincent and I am sure you did so, but I have to inform you that after some 6 weeks I have yet to receive any comments from her. Perhaps a reminder from you might hurry her up ? I would very much like to meet her personally to air my grievances, and those of current patients at Springfield.

I am currently preparing an article which has been promised national newspaper coverage highlighting the heinous practices of ‘megadosing’ and ‘polypharmacy’ so much in vogue at Springfield, together with the disgraceful lack of care and respect exhibited by the majority of doctors and nurses. One suspects this is a nationwide phenomenon and I hope you will devote more of your time in the future (re-election permitting !) to improving conditions for these downtrodden and forgotten human beings.

Looking forward to receiving Dr Vincent’s reply,

I remain, yours sincerely

Jamie Summers